What's the best instrument to brew pu erh?

[plant partaker]

i was curious if pu erh had to be brewed a special way and also if it had to be brewed in a special vessel

[debunix]

Good puerh has flavors that are extracted from the leaves at different rates, so by drinking many short infusions, you can experience some infusions that are more sweet, some more fruity, some more earthy, some more spicy, in a way that you do not if you drink a single larger infusion from the same quantity of tea.

So the traditional way to brew it is with a lot of tea in a small vessel, and repeating the infusions many times.

And because it is generally brewed very hot (aged sheng and good shu don't have a lot of bitterness to be drawn out at high temps), the brewing vessel can be heavier than for more delicate green or white teas.

And Yixing pots are small, heavier walled vessels favored by many puerh drinkers, who additionally like the way the porous clay can subtly alter the flavors of the tea.

But I've made lovely puerh bulk-brewing in a plastic kamjove device, not quite as brilliant as the best gong fu sessions with the same tea in a gaiwan or yixing, but still worthwhile.

[TomVerlain]

My favorite instrument for brewing pu'erh is a bouzouki.

Kotos are great for japanese greens.

[IPT]

It's all up to personal choice. Personally, I only brew tea in Zisha Teapots, and only use Gaiwans to drink Green, Yellow, and White Teas, but I know many people prefer Gaiwans. So it is up to you.

[plant partaker]

What is a zisha teapot ?

[tingjunkie]

It's all up to personal choice. Personally, I only brew tea in Zisha Teapots, and only use Gaiwans to drink Green, Yellow, and White Teas, but I know many people prefer Gaiwans. So it is up to you.

Interesting IPT. Why zisha as opposed to other clays?

[tingjunkie]

What is a zisha teapot ?

Zisha means "purple sand" and is a type of Yixing clay.

[IPT]

Interesting IPT. Why zisha as opposed to other clays?

I'm not opposed to other clays, but I live in China and Zisha is traditional. I love their culture, history, style, the way they age and absorb the oils of tea. There's nothing like using a seasoned Zisha Teapot. It takes a very long time to season them, but when you do they can actually improve the tea you are drinking. A lot of people argue that Zisha will take the taste out of teas and for new teapots, that is true, but it can also take the bite out of some teas as well. A Gaiwan or porcelain teapot will not alter the teas taste, but cannot improve it.

[plant partaker]

Where would you recommend i purchase a zisha ?

[IPT]

I honestly have never bought a zisha teapot online. I get mine directly from the artists. Whoever you do buy from, make sure they have a good guarantee and that they seem to know what they're talking about.

[beecrofter]

Saxaphones, definately saxaphones!

[fencerdenoctum]

Try this.

http://www.wikicha.com/index.php/Mouth_Brewing
It's a hard technique to master. I wouldn't advise it.


I prefer a gaiwan. 4oz.

The Tea Sipping Swordsman,
Fencerdenoctum

[steanze]

I would suggest an yixing teapot (that is, zisha) around 130-150ml. Also, for pu-erh a soft clay would work well because it has greater heat retention and greater porosity. For instance, Zi Ni or Di Cao Qing would work well.

I use 150 ml Lao Zi Ni Pot from dragon tea house, they still have some. Also their teapots with 30 years aged mud would work I assume.
Another source of reasonable yixing pots at decent prices is yunnansourcing.com. They have a quite cheap 130ml hong ni pot that might fit pu-erh well.
For slightly more expensive pots, it seems that the teapots from zishateapot.co.uk are usually quite appreciated in the forum (even if sometimes there have been some issues with custom orders). They have a lot of nice zi ni, zi qie ni and di cao qing pots and I might order from them at some point.